Township Supervisors Handbook
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PA pennsylvania GOVERNOR’S CENTER FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES Township Supervisors Handbook Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Edward G. Rendell, Governor www.state.pa.us Department of Community and Economic Development Dennis Yablonsky, Secretary www.newPA.com Township Supervisors Handbook Eleventh Edition November 2005 Comments or inquiries on the subject matter of this publication should be addressed to: Governor’s Center for Local Government Services Department of Community and Economic Development Commonwealth Keystone Building 400 North Street, 4th Floor Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120-0225 (717) 787-8158 1-888-223-6837 E-mail: [email protected] This and other publications are available for viewing or downloading free-of-charge from he Department of Community and Economic Development web site. Printed copies may be ordered and purchased through a private vendor as indicated on the web site. Access www.newPA.com Select Community Select Local Government Information Select Publications Photo Credits Large Photo: Perry County Courthouse, courtesy of the Perry County Commissioners and the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. Small Road Project Photo: Courtesy of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors. No liability is assumed with respect to the use of information contained in this publication. Laws may be amended or court rulings made that could affect a particular procedure, issue or interpretation. The Department of Community and Economic Development assumes no responsibility for errors and omissions nor any liability for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein. Please contact your local solicitor for legal advise. Preparation of this publication was financed from appropriations of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Copyright © 2005, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, all rights reserved. Table of Contents I. The Supervisor and Township Government .....................................1 Development of Township Government .......................................1 Role of Municipal Government ..............................................2 Role of Supervisors ....................................................... 3 Structure of Township Government ...........................................3 II. Office of Township Supervisor ................................................ 5 Qualifications ............................................................ 5 Vacancies ............................................................... 6 Compensation............................................................ 7 Conflicts of Interest ....................................................... 8 Surcharges .............................................................. 9 Removal from Office ...................................................... 9 Official Liability......................................................... 10 III. Legislative Powers.......................................................... 12 General Powers.......................................................... 12 Meetings ............................................................... 12 Sunshine Law ........................................................... 13 Conduct of Meetings ..................................................... 14 Parliamentary Procedure................................................... 15 Minutes and Records ..................................................... 15 The Legislative Role...................................................... 16 Quasi-Judicial Role ....................................................... 17 IV. Administrative and Appointive Powers ............................................19 Appointed Administrator .................................................. 19 Personnel Management.................................................... 20 Appointment Powers ..................................................... 21 Boards and Commissions ................................................... 22 V. Fiscal Powers ................................................................. 24 Taxes ................................................................. 24 The Budget ............................................................. 25 The Budget Calendar ..................................................... 26 Capital Improvements Planning and Budgeting .................................27 Contracts............................................................... 28 Officers’ Bonds ......................................................... 28 Municipal Borrowing ..................................................... 29 Pension Funding ......................................................... 29 VI. Municipal Services ......................................................... 30 Roads ................................................................. 30 Street Lighting .......................................................... 30 Police ................................................................. 31 Firefighting ............................................................ 31 Ambulance/Rescue Services................................................ 32 Parks and Recreation ..................................................... 32 Libraries and Cultural Services .............................................33 Building and Housing Codes ...............................................33 Sewer and Water Services ................................................. 34 Emergency Management .................................................. 34 VII. Land Use Control and Environmental Regulation ...............................36 Comprehensive Planning .................................................. 36 The Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance .............................38 The Zoning Ordinance .................................................... 38 Flood Plain Regulations ................................................... 39 Stormwater Management .................................................. 39 Sewage Enforcement ..................................................... 40 Solid Waste Management.................................................. 40 Historic Districts......................................................... 41 Agricultural Preservation .................................................. 41 VIII. Intergovernmental Cooperation ..............................................43 Merger and Consolidation ................................................. 43 Council of Governments................................................... 43 Intergovernmental Cooperation .............................................44 Municipal Authorities..................................................... 45 Glossary of Terms .............................................................. 47 I. The Supervisor and Township Government Townships governed by elected boards of supervisors are the most common form of municipal government in Pennsylvania. The 1,456 townships of the second class represent 56 percent of all general purpose municipal governments in Pennsylvania. The state’s township supervisors govern a combined population of 5.1 million, representing 41.7 percent of the state total, more than any other municipal classification. Although some second class townships are located in urban areas and have dense populations, most are rural in nature and have low population densities. Many second class townships are small, rural communities; about 19 percent of the total have populations exceeding 5,000 persons. Second Class Townships by Population Size 2000 Census Population Number 20,000 and over 23 15,000-19,999 25 10,000-14,999 54 5,000-9,999 172 2,500-4,999 312 1,000-2,499 510 under 1,000 361 The largest second class townships are Bensalem (Bucks County) 58,434, Millcreek (Erie) 52,129, Lower Paxton (Dauphin) 44,424, Middletown (Bucks) 44,141 and Hempfield (Westmoreland) 40,721. Thirteen townships have populations under 100. The smallest are East Keating (Clinton) 24, West Keating (Clinton) 42, Cold Spring (Lebanon) 49, Elk (Tioga) 51 and Grugan (Clinton) 52. Townships were the original subdivisions of counties in Pennsylvania. Cities and boroughs were formed from land originally included within a township. There are an average of 22 second class townships per county. The number ranges from five in Cameron County to 56 in Chester County. Development of Township Government Townships are among the oldest political subdivisions of Pennsylvania. William Penn’s 1681 Charter authorized him to divide counties into towns and hundreds. As soon as the first counties were created in 1682, they were subdivided into districts for various governmental purposes. At least two dozen townships formed in the late 1600s still survive in southeastern Pennsylvania, the oldest being Chester, Haverford and Lower Chichester in Delaware County, formed in 1682. As settlement moved westward, townships were often formed in frontier areas before there was sufficient population to justify a separate county, so in most areas the oldest subdivisions are townships, antedating even the county government. Townships were laid out by action of the local justices of the peace sitting as the county court of quarter sessions, subdividing the county for purposes of road maintenance, administering poor relief, conducting elections and collecting taxes. In 1803, the General Assembly regularized this process in a statute authorizing local courts to create townships within each county. Townships were